MCP Server Hands On

🚀 Hands - on Practice with MCP Server

In recent years, the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence has made the knowledge we learn obsolete in a short period, which has become a problem. In this era of rapid change, what matters most is not specific technologies or knowledge themselves, but the way of thinking and methods for understanding, decomposing, and logically reconstructing things.

This hands - on practice aims to provide an opportunity to acquire such a way of thinking through programming. Programming is a process of breaking down complex problems into smaller parts and building solutions, which is highly suitable for experiencing such a process. It is hoped that through this practice, participants can master general problem - solving skills.

Content to be Created

In this practice, we will use the open - source project PokéAPI developed by enthusiasts to obtain Pokémon information. We will create an MCP server that can input a Pokémon's ID (1 - 151) and retrieve its name and in - game flavor text.

⚠️ Important Note

This is just an API developed by enthusiasts. Please do not over - call the API and be careful not to infringe on the rights of relevant stakeholders.

Goals of the Hands - on Practice

1. Understand the basic concepts of MCP/MCP server.
2. Comprehend the syntax of JavaScript/TypeScript.
3. Master the process of writing code, running the server, adding tools, and publishing.

Implementation Method

• It is divided into 6 steps to achieve small results gradually.
• Solve problems through chat or oral communication at any time.

Key Knowledge to Master for Self - Learning

• Basic syntax and type system of JavaScript/TypeScript.
• Experience in executing scripts in the Node.js environment.
• Basic operations of the command - line interface (CLI).
• Mechanism of HTTP requests (GET/POST).

Table of Contents

The following is the table of contents based on the attached README.md:

1. Step 1: What is MCP/MCP Server? What Can It Do?
   1.1 MCP (Model Context Protocol)
   1.2 MCP Server
   1.3 Why Do We Need MCP?
   1.4 General Architecture
   1.5 Uses of MCP Server

2. Step 2: Basic Concepts of Node.js Modules and CLI
   2.1 Node.js Modules
   2.2 Command - Line Interface (CLI)

3. Step 3: Create an MCP Server Using Node.js and TypeScript
   3.1 Initialize the project and install dependencies.
   3.2 Configure TypeScript.
   3.3 Write basic server code.

4. Step 4: Integrate HTTP Request Functionality
   4.1 Use Axios to handle HTTP requests.
   4.2 Implement communication with PokéAPI.

5. Step 5: Configure and Run the MCP Server
   5.1 Configure environment variables.
   5.2 Start the server and conduct preliminary tests.

6. Step 6: Connect to the MCP Server from Claude Desktop
   6.1 Open Claude Desktop settings.
   6.2 Edit the developer configuration file.
   6.3 Register the MCP server.
   6.4 Verify the functionality in Claude Desktop.

Supplementary Explanation

• JavaScript/TypeScript
  Scripting languages used for web and server - side development. TypeScript is a typed version of JavaScript.
• Node.js
  A JavaScript runtime environment for server - side scripting.
• CLI (Command - Line Interface)
  A text - based operating interface where commands can be directly input for operations.
• HTTP Request
  A request sent by a client to a server. The main HTTP methods include GET (retrieve) and POST (submit).